Mockingjay: Worth the wait, but only just
by OwlinAMinor
Summary: My long, in-depth review of the long-awaited final book in the Hunger Games trilogy.  Love it or hate it as you wish.  DO NOT READ UNLESS YOU HAVE FINISHED MOCKINGJAY! SPOILERS AHEAD!


_**Mockingjay: Worth the wait, but only just.**_

**SPOILER WARNING! DO NOT READ THIS UNLESS YOU HAVE FINISHED MOCKINGJAY! I REPEAT, DO NOT READ UNLESS YOU HAVE FINISHED MOCKINGJAY! **

I wrote this about 10 minutes after I finished the book Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins.

The following is my thoughts on the book.

* * *

The beginning was promising, the middle was epically amazing, the beginning of the end was sad but not unsurprising, and the end of the end was weirdly satisfying in a way that only Suzanne Collins can pull off.

Was I satisfied in general? Knowing that I read the Hunger Games and Catching Fire each within a months of their release and have waited nearly two years for a conclusion to the trilogy, that's an excellent question.

I suppose, yes, it was worth the wait. But only just.

But, to be honest, Mockingjay is, now that I ponder it, my least favorite of the three books. The Hunger Games is my most favorite, for its raw power, suspense, and ability to suck you in and not let you out. Catching Fire was still good, but in my honest opinion, Suzanne Collins (like many authors) writes best without any pressure. After the success of book 1, she was under pressure for book 2, and even more pressure for book 3. The more the pressure, the higher the expectations … and the lower the quality of the writing itself.

* * *

**Now on to the stinky book itself!**

We start off with Katniss going into detail about the ashes of her home, which is sad and all, but I think I speak for a lot of us when I was thinking, "Hurry up and finish this sentimental crap and get to the good stuff!" Which starts at the end of chapter 2, with Katniss agreeing to be the Mockingjay. But when I really got hooked, feeling Collins' trademark super-suspense, was the bombing in Eight (chapter 7). Though I have to admit, the interview with Peeta was interesting. I had forgotten how well Peeta can convince a crowd – how much he reminds me of Vladimir Lenin (if you don't know who that is, Google him). After Eight, it just gets better; Katniss strutting her awesomely-epically-badass-Mockingjay-ness just like we all knew she would while the Capitol is slowly but surely being defeated. Though you have to feel sorry for poor, crazy Finnick, playing with his little bit of rope. The "propos" were just plain AWESOME. Genius. No other way to put it. Being a movie maker myself, I can only imagine how much work (and what kind of extremely expensive, extremely good quality software) must have gone into those videos. The only annoying spots in this epic-super-suspense middle of the book were the arguments between Katniss and Gale (whom I love) and the whole Peeta-being-tortured-to-death scenario. I felt Katniss's pain and boredom at being trapped underground during the bombings, and then frustration as she had another breakdown and was kept out of Peeta's rescue. Another breakdown? Is this the strong, powerful, rebellious Katniss we all know and love? What?

I have to say, I was honestly surprised with what happened to Peeta. I suppose it was Collins being unpredictable, and denying her heroine of nursing a guy she loved back to health while he looked on adoringly – nope, Peeta tried to strangle her. Knowing the Capitol, I shouldn't have been all that astonished, but maybe I'm not a good a predictor as I like to think. But honestly, can you cut Katniss some slack, after all she's been through? I suppose it wasn't realistic, having Peeta come back perfect, but it seems like with every book, Katniss gets more and more pain. When will it stop?

After this was what happened in Two. My reaction? "That was just weird." Katniss, who has gone the whole series showing nothing but hatred towards the Capitol and the Careers, chooses now to start being squeamish? Though, you have to admit, her speech was fairly badass, as was Gale's plan. Yes, for the record, I agree with Gale. It's a war, people. War = kill or be killed. You do not spare people who will kill you if you don't kill them first.

And now, at last, the beginning of the end. Katniss is trained to be a soldier (this part was interesting; the Block was cool, though I would have liked to have more detail) and shipped off to be a poster girl pretending to fight. But no, that doesn't satisfy _this_ Mockingjay (though, honestly, I don't blame her) and she has to sneak off through a haze of fire and flame, causing a couple deaths along the way, to assassinate Snow. This is where the book deteriorates for me. Sure, I was still hooked, but only because I wanted to know how it ended. It was reminiscent of the last Harry Potter book – the author killing off quite a few characters just because she could. Now, I know this isn't Breaking Dawn, where Stephenie Meyer loves her characters so much she can't stand to kill a single one, and I know lots of people die in wars, but … It was still epic, still fun to read, still suspenseful, but it just wasn't great writing any more. Too rushed. Plus, the heroine was practically giving up. Not that I totally blame her. Killing Prim was like killing the entire reason the books started. Because of Prim, Katniss stepped into the 74th Hunger Games. Because of Prim, she tried her hardest to win. Because of Prim, she became the Mockingjay. And now, Prim is dead. For that, I want to murder Suzanne Collins. I have a little sister myself, so I can just imagine how horrible it must be for Katniss.

Okay, Katniss's mission to assassinate Snow has failed. People died on that mission for nothing. And here is what Katniss does … she gives up, then she's fighting, then she's burning, then she's dead? No,never mind, she's alive, but she wants to be dead, then she's confused, then fighting, then confused, then fighting, then confused, then sad, then in love, then BAM! Two-page happy-ish epilogue, and it's over. Seriously. That's really all it was for the last 50 or so pages. So rushed. A little disappointing, honestly. Here we are, expecting a huge epic ending battle, but no, we can't have that, instead it's Katniss going emo and addicted to morphine. She didn't even kill Snow, for Christ's sake! He chokes from laughing too hard after being imprisoned too long. Tell me, is that pathetic or is that pathetic?

What happened to Katniss saddens me. Where did Katniss Everdeen go, this girl who hunted in the woods to feed her family, who replaced her sister in the reaping, who won the Hunger Games against all odds? Now, she is Katniss Everdeen, girl who hunts to keep herself from going mad, who has screaming nightmares every night, who runs from the sight of roses. She sacrificed herself, her sanity, her being in favor of being the Mockingjay … and what did she do, really? Rally the Districts. Kill Coin. But she didn't get any personal revenge, did she? I know, I know, life is never fair. But don't you think Katniss deserves something other than madness? I was reminded of Among the Free, the slightly disappointing last book in Margaret Peterson Haddix's Shadow Children series – the main character is alive and safe blut slightly crazy and didn't do much to end things.

At least it had a peaceful ending. I wouldn't call it happy, because it can't be happy with all that death, but it is peaceful. The epilogue was well-written and in a way pretty, though it could be better. It is satisfying to know that the Capitol has fallen and that things are good, and Suzanne Collins reminds us in that epilogue that she is still a good writer, no matter what pressure has done to her books. Not many writers can write an excellent ending out of death, doom, and destruction in the past 50 pages. Katniss survived, Peeta survived, they had kids together. Yay. Woo. Exciting.

One more thing: is it just me, or did anyone else feel the lack of dialogue in this book? No banter, no conversations, just action, action, romance, action, action, angst, action, action, action with the occasional one-to-five lines thrown in with a summary of the rest of the conversation. There are exceptions, but for the most part, that is the only dialogue. This dialogue itself isn't very good, because it seems that the word "says" is Collins's new best friend. It's all she ever uses, after all. Nothing says "rushed" like a lack of dialogue, and this book, if you think about it, certainly was. Description is lacking somewhat as well. It's almost as if Collins tried to pack enough action for at least two books into one. Maybe there should have been another book, dividing Mockingjay in half, each half more full and well-rounded with more than just action that one book could be.

That's what I would have done.

Though, it must be said that Collins is still a good writer. Her suspense and action writing, as well as her epic speeches and clever plot twists, are to be rewarded. This is why I say the book was worth the wait.

* * *

**Now I'm going to examine each of the major characters and their fates (or lack thereof):**

KATNISS: Lives happily ever after with Peeta, except for the nightmares, lingering craziness, guilt of people she killed … sheesh, no wonder it took her so long to recover. How did she end up choosing Peeta, anyway? It took her long enough. Until one paragraph out of the epilogue, to be exact.

PEETA: Okay, is he crazy or not? Am I the only one still a little confused as to his mental health? I guess he must be okay, since he had kids with Katniss, but why does he love her again? Was it ever explained?

GALE: He's in Two, doing whoknowswhat with whoknowswho. More details, Suzanne, please?

PRIMROSE: Okay. She died. It was tragic. We get it. Enough guilt trips. Yes, she was awesome, I loved her too. And again, Suzanne, can you tell us why she was with the kids who were bombed? I don't remember learning who sent her there.

KATNISS'S MOM: Her I get; bad memories in Twelve, move to Four.

HAYMITCH: I thought he would die in this book. But he didn't. I figured, all he lives for is the kids he mentors, the rebellion, and alchohol. So why not put him out of his misery and let him be happy with Maysilee Donner in the afterlife? (Yes, I am a fan of HaymitchxMaysilee.) Oh well. I suppose he'll survive somehow …

FINNICK: He died right after he got married. Gotta feel bad for that, and for Annie, who got him just to loose him again. But didn't she have his baby after that? I think it was mentioned in passing near the epilogue … this guy's death was sad, but understandable. He will be missed.

CINNA: I liked this guy, so I was hoping he'd somehow still be alive in Mockingjay. Guess I was wrong there too. :(

THE PREP TEAM: We don't know what happened to them, but I suppose they'll find jobs and be happy somewhere …

JOHANNA: Okay, what happened to her? I really want to know. She had no family or friends outside of Katniss and other tributes, so … ?

PLUTARCH: Don't worry about him until there's another war. Which won't be for a while, we hope.

SNOW: Well, he's dead, which is good, right?

COIN: Ding dong, the witch is dead, an arrow went, through her head! Or something along those lines. Still not sure if that was good or bad though …

BOGGS: Somehow, as soon as Katniss decided to like him, I knew he would die by the end of the book. Morbid, I know, but sad, because I liked him too. He was funny.

MADGE: Haha! She won't end up with Gale after all! Because she's … DEAD! But I suppose it's bad that she's dead, because she was a very interesting character. I would have liked to know more about her. And it was her pin that started the Mockingjay.

EFFIE: I think she's in an insane asylum somewhere, though we never learn the details.

OTHERS ON SQUAD #451: I think they're all dead now, yes? Sucks for them. Kinda reminds me of a book I read when I was little but shouldn't have, one that I can't remember the name of, but still gives me nightmares occasionally …

PEOPLE IN GENERAL: Let's be optimistic. The Capitol was overthrown. A new government in place. That was the aim all along, wasn't it? Not the individual characters, but that good prevailed. So, I hope the new government that nobody ever bothered to explain beyond the basic idea of a republic is going well …

Loose ties, anyone? What happened to some of these people? Will we ever know? And why was Collins too lazy to tell us?

* * *

**Next, here are the parts of the book I bookmarked, and why I bookmarked them:**

**Pages 25-26:** Peeta's explanation of why there should be a cease-fire made me remember how convincing he can be, and how much he reminds me of Lenin. Plus, his appearance helped Katniss's spirits, which is never a bad thing.

**Pages 41-42:** _"…is there anything left on your list, Katniss?"_

_My paper's crumpled into a ball in my right fist. I flatten the sheet against the table and read the rickety letters. _

"_Just one more thing. I kill Snow."_

_For the first time ever, I see the hint of a smile on the president's lips. "When the time comes, I'll flip you for it."_

The president's reply surprised me. It was also kind-of funny.

**Page 75: **_"I cried when she drugged Peeta so she could go get him medicine and when she kissed him good-bye!" blurts out Octavia. Then she covers her mouth, like she's sure this was a bad mistake._

_ But Haymitch only nods. "Oh, yeah. Drugs Peeta to save his life. Very nice."_

I don't know about you, but it made me laugh (read it out loud a couple times if you don't get it the first time). Though Haymitch may or may not have been being ironic.

**Page 79:** _"Oh, I forgot. It's this stupid concussion. I was supposed to tell you to report to Beetee in Special Weaponry. He's designed a new trident for you."_

_ At the word _trident_, it's as if the old Finnick surfaces. "Really? What's it do?"_

_ "I don't know. But if it's anything like my bow and arrows, you're going to love it," I say. "You'll need to train with it, though."_

_ "Right. Of course. I guess I better get down there," he says._

_ "Finnick?" I say. "Maybe some pants?"_

_ He looks at his legs as if noticing his outfit for the first time. Then he whips off his hospital gown, leaving him in just his underwear. "Why? Do you find this" – he strikes a ridiculously proactive pose – "distracting?"_

Finnick … Finnick … Finnick … what ARE we going to do with you?

**Pages 81-81: **_"… I'm not blaming you, Katniss. It's just that very few people are born with camera-ready faces. Like him." She snags Gale, who's in a conversation with Plutarch, and spins him towards us. "Isn't he handsome?"_

_ Gale does look striking in the uniform, I guess. But the question just embarrasses us both, given our history. I'm trying to think of a witty comeback, when Boggs says brusquely, "Well, don't expect us to be too impressed. We just saw Finnick Odair in his underwear." I decide to go ahead and like Boggs._

And this is when I decided Boggs was awesome. (Also when I had the unhappy premonition that he was going to die later in the book …)

**Pages 99-100: **_"I want to tell the rebels that I am alive. That I'm right here in District Eight, where the Capitol has just bombed a hospital full of unarmed men, women, and children. There will be no survivors." The shock I've been feeling gives way to fury. "I want to tell people that if you think for one second the Capitol will treat us fairly if there's a cease-fire, you're deluding yourself. Because you know who they are and what they do." My hands go out automatically, as if to indicate the whole horror around me. "_This_ is what they do! And we must fight back!"_

_ I'm moving in toward the camera now, carried forward by my rage. "President Snow says he's sending us a message? Well, I have one for him. You can torture us and bomb us and burn our districts to the ground, but do you see that?" One of the cameras follows as I point to the planes burning on the roof of the warehouse across from us. The Capitol seal on a wing glows clearly through the flames. "Fire is catching!" I am shouting now, determined that he will not miss a word. "And if we burn, you burn with us!"_

That is an epically badass speech worthy of the great Maximum Ride herself, queen of badass sarcasm, witty comebacks, and clever speeches. (Read the series Maximum Ride by James Patterson if you don't know who I'm talking about.)

**Pages 110-111: **Haymitch forcing Katniss to wear her earpiece – a funny anecdote in the midst of all this fighting. Especially the last bit …

_"Anything else?"_

_ Haymitch rises to go. "While I was waiting … I ate your lunch."_

_ My eyes take in the empty stew bowl and tray on my bed table. "I'm going to report you," I mumble into my pillow. _

_ "You do that, sweetheart." He goes out, safe in the knowledge that I'm not the reporting kind._

**Page 120: **_"Haymitch? Not able to face something? Wanted a day off, more likely," I say._

_ "I think his actual words were 'I couldn't face it without a bottle,'" says Plutarch._

Haymitch just LIVES for that bottle, doesn't he?

**Pages 122-126: **This part started with Katniss singing to the mockingjays (for the first time in, what, eight years? Unless you count the part where Rue died.) and ended with the explanation of a weirdly clever and mind-bending song, _The Hanging Tree_. This song comes up in reference later in the book, and I think Katniss herself is still trying to figure out exactly what it means. All very interestingly creepy plot devices.

**Page 130: **_Gale, who I have never seen try, has tears in his eyes. To keep them from spilling over, I reach forward and press my lips against his. We taste of heat, ashes, and misery. It's a surprising flavor for such a gentle kiss. He pulls away first and gives me a wry smile. "I knew you'd kiss me."_

_ "How?" I say. Because I didn't know myself._

_ "Because I'm in pain," he says. "That's the only way I get your attention."_

… and this is when all the Peeta-lovers say _HA!_ and all the Gale-lovers say _:'(_.

**Page 153:** The metaphor with Crazy Cat and Katniss's situation with Peeta is so clever, and it makes so much sense once you think about it – but it's not all that easy to think up. Kudos to Suzanne Collins on this one.

**Page 155-156: **Katniss's conversation with Finnick, learning that she did, in the end, after it was too late, convince Snow that she loved Peeta. And now it will be used against her. Poor Katniss. I marked this page because it was a long-overdue explanation, and it was written well.

**Page 177:** It's an important turning point in the story, don't you think? Peeta trying to kill Katniss, after all the times he was protecting her?

**Page 184:** _I look at my little sister and think how she has inherited the best qualities our family has to offer: my mother's healing hands, my father's level head, and my fight. There's something else there as well, something entirely her own. An ability to look into the confusing mess of life and see things for what they are._

Why, oh why did Prim have to die? She was so loved, and for such good reasons!

**Pages 190-191: **_Not only does he hate me and want to kill me, he no longer believes I'm human. It was less painful being strangled._

Delly's conversation with Peeta. So, he's making progress, but not much. And maybe Katniss will give up on him? Maybe maybe please please? (I speak for Team Gale there, sorry Peeta fans.)

**Pages 197-200:** Katniss makes out with Gale! SQUEEEE! Okay, okay. I know he says it doesn't count. But still, at least she tried making out with Gale, so she won't always be wondering what she's missing when she does it with Peeta. Also, it was nice, finally learning when Gale first started to care about Katniss in that way.

**Pages 226-228:** Finnick and Annie's wedding. Need I say more?

**Pages 228-232:** Katniss's conversation with Peeta. I find it a little creepy – Peeta's personality switch at this point in the book, I mean. He's almost like a younger version of Haymitch, only … creepier. And Katniss, of course, is disappointed/hurt/insulted that he doesn't love her any more. Well, the guy was through Capitol tortures that made him hate you! What did you expect?

**Page 271:** _At a few minutes before four, Peeta turns to me again. "Your favorite color … it's green?"_

_ "That's right." Then I think of something to add. "And yours is orange."_

_ "Orange?" He seems unconvinced._

_ "Not bright orange. But soft. Like the sunset," I say. "At least, that's what you told me once."_

_ "Oh." He closes his eyes briefly, maybe trying to conjure up that sunset, then nods his head. "Thank you."_

_ But more words tumble out. "You're a painter. You're a baker. You like to sleep with the windows open. You never take a sugar in your tea. And you always double-knot your shoelaces."_

_ Then I dive into my tent before I do something stupid like cry._

Say it with me: "Aaawwwww!" Even if you hate Peeta, you can't not think that this part is cute.

**Page 302: **_"Well, that's good, isn't it?" I ask. "If you can separate the two, then you can figure out what's true."_

_ "Yes. And if I could grow wings, I could fly. Only people can't grow wings," he says. "Real or not real?"_

_ "Real," I say. "But people don't need wings to survive."_

_ "Mockingjays do."_

Was that just Peeta's warped mind, or am I sensing a metaphor in here? That, maybe, to survive, Katniss needs to do something impossible for most people, like growing wings?

**Pages 312-313:** Finnick is … dead? What? Really? I guess if someone had to die, I'd rather it was Finnick and not Gale, even though Finnick was a great character.

**Pages 313-314:** _"Leave me," he whispers. "I can't hang on."_

_ "Yes. You can!" I tell him._

_ Peeta shakes his head. "I'm losing it. I'll go mad. Like them."_

_ Like the mutts. Like a rabid beast bent on ripping my throat out. And here, finally here in this place, in these circumstances, I will really have to kill him. And Snow will win. Hot, bitter hatred courses through me. Snow has won too much already today._

_ It's a long shot, it's suicide maybe, but I do the only thing I can think of. I lean in and kiss Peeta full on the mouth. His whole body starts shuddering, but I keep my lips pressed to his until I have to come up for air. My hands slide up his wrists to clasp his. "Don't let him take you from me."_

_ Peeta's panting hard as he fights the nightmares raging in his head. "No. I don't want to …"_

_ I clench his hands to the point of pain. "Stay with me."_

_ His pupils contract to pinpoints, dilate again rapidly, and then return to something resembling normalcy. "Always," he murmurs._

… and now we know who Katniss is going to choose. Peeta. Even if he's still more than a little insane.

**Pages 328-329:** Is it just me, or is Suzanne Collins copying the famous tent scene in Eclipse (Stephenie Meyer) here? A scene with the two main love interests having a conversation about the girl, who is the focal point of the love triangle, almost like they're friends, while the girl, thought to be asleep but really not, hears every word. I think some copyright is in order here, although it was a good scene. Especially Gale's prediction: _"Katniss will pick whoever she thinks she can't survive without."_

**Pages 368-370:** So, there's going to be another Hunger Games, only with the Capitol's children. It's not all that surprising, really, that Katniss voted for the Hunger Games, knowing who she lost because of it. Though she really should have voted against it. Wasn't the Hunger Games the cause of this whole mess?

**Pages 371-372: **Okay, Katniss killed Coin instead of Snow. I see that it had to be done. But what is incredibly pathetic is that Snow is killed because he laughs so much that he chokes on his own blood, and any chance of survival he has is taken away in the mob scene afterward. So, Katniss's mission, to kill Snow, was taken over by a very cruel force of nature. Wow. Pathetic. Good evil villains are supposed to have satisfying deaths worthy of their evilness. This, by all means, was _not_ one of those.

**Page 375: **The cover quote for Mockingjay …

_"My name is Katniss Everdeen. Why am I not dead? I should be dead. It would be best for everyone if I were dead."_

I wonder why this is the cover quote. I mean, it occurs pretty late in the book, when Katniss is being emo, suicidal, over-drugged, and generally unhappy. Not exactly the kind of thing you want to present on the cover. But I guess it is pretty ominous, in a way.

**Page 376-377:** Katniss starts singing again. Now, we can't be sure whether this is good or bad, because we don't know … is she singing because she wants to be dead? Doesn't want to be dead? Decided if she was going to die she might as well go out singing? Did it for Prim? For her father? For all those who died? To get rid of her morphling cravings? Or just because she was bored?

And meanwhile, I'm sitting in my room, reading this super-depressed, super-drugged, super-insane version of Katniss, thinking "There are less than 15 pages left in this book! When is she going to have a happy ending with a decent epilogue in 15 pages?"

**Page 379: **_"Are you preparing for another war, Plutarch?" I ask._

_ "Oh, not now. Now we're in that sweet period where everyone agrees that our recent horrors should never be repeated," he says. "But collective thinking is usually short-lived. We're fickle, stupid beings with poor memories and a great gift for self-destruction. Although who knows? Maybe this will be it, Katniss."_

_ "What?" I ask._

_ "The time it sticks. Maybe we are witnessing the evolution of the human race. Think about that."_

And there, from Plutarch, of all people, comes what might be the point of this strange but wonderful Hunger Games trilogy. _Maybe we are witnessing the evolution of the human race._ Maybe Suzanne Collins wrote these books to try to get that evolution to happen sooner, so we could avoid wars, avoid killing each other off. Maybe. At any rate, it's something to ponder.

**Pages 382-383:** Peeta's back, and Katniss … is crazier than ever. At least she got rid of that "evil rose" from Snow. Maybe it will stop haunting her dreams now. Haha.

**Page 387:** The book. A futuristic scrapbook of all the people who died. To help Katniss release herself of their ghosts and get on with living.

**Page 388: **_Peeta and I grow back together. There are still moments when he clutches the back of a chair and hangs on until the flashbacks are over. I wake screaming from nightmares of mutts and lost children. But his arms are there to comfort me. And eventually his lips. On the night I fell that thing again, the hunger that overtook me on the beach, I know this would have happened anyway. That what I need to survive is not Gale's fire, kindled with rage and hatred. I have plenty of fire myself. What I need is the dandelion in the spring. The bright yellow that means rebirth instead of destruction. The promise that life can go on, no matter how bad our losses. That it can be good again. And only Peeta can give me that._

_ So after, when he whispers, "You love me. Real or not real?"_

_ I tell him, "Real."_

I suppose I was wrong. See, in the great debate of Peeta vs. Gale, I took a quote from an unique book series by name of Warriors that, at one point, has a love triangle similar to Peeta vs. Gale to prove that Katniss should end up with Gale: "She needs someone to match her fire, not contain it." It doesn't take a genius to figure out who would match her fire and who would contain it. But, it turns out, Katniss needs the opposite: someone to contain her fire, not match it. Who knew? Now, I would be more satisfied with this if at least Gale found someone else and we knew he was happy, but we don't know. All we know is that he's in Two, and Katniss's hypothesis that he found another pair of lips to kiss. But because of the uber-rushed ending, we really don't know. And so, I'm not totally buying Katniss and Peeta's romance at this part. You could just say I'm doing this because I'm on Team Gale, but honestly, I don't mind Peeta. He's smart, he's nice enough, he can't exactly take care of himself but he can take care of others he cares about. I just think Gale is better for Katniss. And I'll just hope that I can find a good fan fiction where Gale finds happiness after the end of Mockingjay.

**Pages 389-390:** I'm too lazy to go type up the entire epilogue, but it is awesome. The ending is perfect. The last sentence will go on my list of great last sentences. So if you haven't already read the epilogue, go read it. And then read it again. And again. It is satisfying to know that Katniss, so opposed to the idea of more mouths to feed, was convinced to have children, and to know that she still sings. It brings back the song that she sang to Rue, one we all love. And there is this:

_I'll tell them how I survive it. I'll tell them that on bad mornings, it feels impossible to take pleasure in anything because I'm afraid it could be taken away. That's when I make a list in my head of every act of goodness I've seen someone do. It's like a game. Repetetive. Even a little tedious after more than twenty years._

_But there are much worse games to play._

Something came full circle here, didn't it? It begins with the Games and ends with a new, smaller, much better Game: one that helps Katniss keep her craziness at bay. It reminds us of the theme of the series: The Hunger Games. In each book, there is a Hunger Games – even the last one, as you must remember Katniss and Finnick telling you. Games. Deadly Games. That have been put to a stop, once and for all.

* * *

**The conclusion** to this lengthy review**:** give authors their time, and don't pressure them. You usually get better results. I'm reminded of Christopher Paulini, who still hasn't produced even a title of the last book in his famous Inheritance Cycle even though it's been two years since the last one. But still nobody hounds him or pressures him, because, though overly descriptive and at times a bit dull, his books are great pieces of literature, getting better with each installment. That could have been Mockingjay if Suzanne Collins had had more time – I, for one, would be willing to wait longer if it meant better results.

You are welcome to flame me, praise me, etcetra. Any kind of comment, review, or feedback is welcome. I would like to see how people react to my opinions. This is the first in-depth review of a book I have written, though I may do more. It was … fun, in a perverted way. Also, I thank you for reading this.

- OwlinAMinor

P.S. I am what you would call a devoted fan of the Hunger Games; it should be mentioned that I have a signed (-er-stamped) copy of Mockingjay and a Hunger Games t-shirt. I wore the t-shirt the entire time I read the book, which I got at 2:00pm yesterday and finished by 10:00pm that same day. Just thought you might like to know. :)


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